Sunday, March 31, 2013

The Muslim Brotherhood said Thursday that it has
the right to defend its headquarters in Moqattam against attacks by
protesters opposed to its group.

At a press conference held at the Grand Nile
Tower hotel on the Nile Corniche in Garden City, the Brotherhood's
Secretary General Mahmoud Hussein said, "We do not start fights but we
will not allow anyone to attack our headquarters."

Hussein said the protesters that descended on the
Brotherhood headquarters Saturday deliberately provoked and insulted
youth members protecting the building. He added that the protesters had
carried knives, sticks and Molotov cocktails. "We will hold those who
committed violations accountable," he said.

Hussein also refused to apologize for the clashes, despite the fact that several protesters and journalists were injured.

"Why apologise?” he asked. "There is a group that
attacked the Brotherhood headquarters and another that was covering the
events. To the first group, we owe no apology. If investigations,
judicial or internal, prove we have wronged the second group, we will
apologize — so far it has not been proven who sparked the clashes."

Proceedings at the conference were interrupted by
a heated argument between Brotherhood leaders and some reporters. The
journalists accused the Brotherhood of bias for only showing footage of
one of its members being attacked.

The reporters said it was unfair not to show
other video, including widely circulated footage of alleged Brotherhood
members slapping female protesters as well as shots of Deputy Supreme
Guide Khairat al-Shater’s personal guard beating reporters.

Journalists began chanting "Down with the rule
of the Supreme Guide" and called for the screening of other videos
showing reporters being assaulted at the hands of Brotherhood members.

Earlier Hussein had accused media of "neglecting
the fact that it was [reporters and protesters] who came to Moqattam,
insulted and provoked [members of the Brotherhood] and then attacked the
headquarters and the police with bombs, Molotovs cocktails and
birdshot.

"Nevertheless, we pledge to investigate and if we find the building guards committed violations, we will hold them responsible."

The leader condemned calls for a new protest at
the headquarters Friday, saying, "Now they are calling for people to go
to the headquarters on Friday to continue their assault."

Hussein said the police are responsible for
protecting the Brotherhood headquarters, but said the group would step
in if security forces failed in their task.

Ahmed Aref, the group's spokesperson took a less
provocative tone and said, "I respect reporters and I admit that those I
have dealt with are well-mannered and serious in their coverage of the
group's news.

"We are not enemies of the profession or
professional reporters... the Brotherhood does not accept insult to any
reporter... If there were violations or insults during the clashes, the
matter is now in the hands of the judiciary."